Todd v. Richmond

1 Mann. Unrep. Cas. 268
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJuly 1, 1880
DocketNo. 820
StatusPublished

This text of 1 Mann. Unrep. Cas. 268 (Todd v. Richmond) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Todd v. Richmond, 1 Mann. Unrep. Cas. 268 (La. 1880).

Opinions

Egan, J.

David Pipes obtained a judgment in the District Court of Morehouse against one Parks individually and as administrator of his deceased brother. His representatives, residents of the Parish of East Feliciana, where he also resided when the judgment was obtained and at his death, caused an execution to issue upon the judgment and seized certain lands lying in the Parish of Morehouse, [269]*269which the sheriff was proceeding to sell when the present plaintiff instituted this suit in the District Court of Morehouse claiming to be the transferee and owner of one-half interest in the judgment and all its accessories, and asking that he be so decreed, and that one-half of whatever should be realized under the ji. fa. should be paid over to him.

The sheriff accepted service, and the heirs and representatives of Pipes were regularly served with citation at their place of residence, East Feliciana.

Numerous defences have been set up and elaborately argued pro and con of which, however, it is only necessary to notice two — one by reason of its own importance, and the other because of the district judge having made it the basis of his judgment — we think erroneously. We shall notice the latter first.

It was the plea of res adjudieata set up against the present plaintiff by reason of a judgment in an hypothecary action instituted by David Pipes, the judgment creditor, to enforce his judicial mortgage resulting from the registry of this judgment against certain lands in the posssession of one Nos worthy. Of this it is only necessary to say that neither Todd nor his alleged transferror Brigham were parties to that suit, and of course it could not be and was not the thing adjudged as to them or either of them.

We are not now called upon to determine what, if any effect, upon the rights now asserted by him was produced by any connection óf Todd otherwise with that litigation.

The judge a quo erred in maintaining the plea. The defendants, heirs and representatives of David Pipes, excepted to the jurisdiction of the court and claimed the right to be sued at their domicil in East Feliciana.

This exception is undoubtedly good, unless the nature of the present action brings it within some exception to the general rule. It has been often and properly held and may now be considered that an injunction to stay or regulate tho execution of a judgment may be sued out wherever the same is sought to be executed without reference, either to the place where the judgment was rendered or where the plaintiff resides.

The plaintiff seems to have recognized this, for the petition alleges [270]*270the necessity of, and prays for injunction, which however was never obtained, no affidavit having been made, bond filed, or order or writ issued. The case is therefore not within that exception.

The only other exception at all pertinent is that which authorizes the filing of third oppositions in the court which issues the ft. fa. and which for that reason is charged with the distribution of the funds. The plaintiff himself insists that this is not a third opposition, but what he terms a petitory action to have himself decreed owner of one-half the judgment and all its accessory rights, including that to receive half the proceeds of sale.

Technically and strictly a third opposition lies in only two cases: —

1. Where the ownership of the thing seized is claimed.

2. Where a privilege is claimed which entitles the opponent to be paid out of the proceeds of sale in preference to the seizing creditor.

The present case sets up neither ground.

The plaintiff does not claim the property seized nor does he claim any privilege upon it. But were it in the power of the court, against his own argument and admissions, to consider this in other respects as likened to a third opposition, though not strictly and technically' so, it is fatally defective as such for the reason that no order to the sheriff to retain the proceeds of the sale in his hands subject to the further order of the court was either asked for or obtained.

The sheriff, then, in the absence of injunction or of the usual and necessary order in cases of third opposition to retain the proceeds, was without power, authority, or right, to refuse to pay over to the seizing creditor in whose name the judgment and writ was, and who provoked its issuance, the proceeds of the sale.

Had he attempted to do so he would have been at once ruled and compelled to pay over, or would have been suspended or removed from office, besides being punishable for contempt.

In point of fact, it is both alleged and proved, that without let or hinderance on the part of the present plaintiff who had the remedies of the law open to him, the sheriff did as he was legally bound to do, pay over the entire proceeds of sale to and under the order of the seizing creditor who obtained judgment or his representatives.

[271]*271Injunction is the process specially and peculiarity applicable to prevent one from doing an act which another contends may be injurious to him, or impair a right which he claims. C. P. 296.

It is a conservatory writ, an equitable remedy, which a party may obtain provisionally on bringing his action (C. P. 208) and the right of the plaintiff to execute a judgment, which he has obtained for a sum of money, can only be suspended upon a petition, affidavit and bond for injunction. See 17 A. 306, State v. Judge, Fourth District; 18 A. 110; 19 A. 188.

It would then be both unjust and legally impossible for us by our decree to compel the sheriff to pay the whole or any part of the proceeds of the sale to the plaintiff in this suit.

There is then no question before this court, and there was none before the District Court of the distribution of a fund under its control, for whatever the plaintiff Todd might have done, he did not take the steps necessary to preserve that control in the District Court of Morehouse.

Stripped then of that feature of the case, nothing is left to be determined but the naked question of ownership, vel non, of one-half interest in the Parks judgment, the evidence of a debt, an incorporeal right to be disputed and determined in a purely personal action against the succession and heirs of Pipes, whose domicil was in the parish of East Feliciana, and where consequently the suit should have been brought.

For the sheriff has, and claims, no interest in this controversy. He was a mere stakeholder against whom in any form of action no other decree could have been asked or obtained than one directing to whom he should pay over the money. It is, however, argued that the defendants filed an answer and thereby accepted the jurisdiction of the District Court of Morehouse, which they cannot be permitted afteiwards to decline.

The law regulating jurisdiction ratione persona has been held, and we think correctly, to be declaratory of a public policy as well as of an individual right, and that therefore and by its own terms, a defendant is not permitted to consent to be sued out of the jurisdiction of his domicil.

If by merely filing an answer, instead of a formal written consent, [272]*272the law can be evaded, it may and will be done in every case when it is the pleasure of the parties.

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19 A. 188 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1889)

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Bluebook (online)
1 Mann. Unrep. Cas. 268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/todd-v-richmond-la-1880.